I dusted off my Mjolnir 2 after 4 years in the closet and am enjoying it with my HD6XX. Right now, I'm using the SE input, being fed from the pre-out of a Devialet Expert 400. It might be nice to have a balanced DAC to stack under the Mjolnir 2. The form factor of the Schiit Gungnir matches...

I stumbled across this article by Archimago.  It's not new, but a good read given the recent influx of newcomers to this part of the board.   One particle excerpt stands out:   [paste]   "The thing about audio of course is that this is a mature applied science we're talking about...

We all know the long standing tube vs solid state debate.   And some of us (including me) have hybrid systems that use a little of each.   But do you have the optimal mix of tubes and solid state to reach sonic nirvana?   Wonder no more!   Originally designed for instrument and...

For the placebophile who has everything:   "The Entreq Concept - An Optimized Ground The easiest way of thinking about the Entreq boxes is to literally consider them a box of "ground". made up of  a controlled quantity of conductive materials known to absorb noise.  This provides a far more...

In yet another case of "there is a sucker born every minute", Wireworld has a new "audiophile" Cat 8 ethernet cable.   It is described thusly:   "The first of its kind, the Starlight Ethernet utilizes an innovative new conductor geometry that supports higher transmission speeds for the most...

"This much is known: When it comes to the tiny balanced armatures used in many earphones, there’s just not the same potential for mechanical deviation. We’re talking about things the size of a baby’s tooth. And unlike the large drivers in over-the-ear headphones, there’s just not that much room...

Not new, but I recently re-read a great post by Dr. Sean Olive of Harman Labs:   http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2009/04/dishonesty-of-sighted-audio-product.html   Some standout quotes:   "While double-blind protocols are standard practice in all fields of science - including consumer...

So I'm in the midst of planning my next upgrade and am seriously thinking of saying "good-bye" to my power amps and passive speakers and going full active powered speakers.   My sources are: streaming digital audio and vinyl   Two of the finalist speakers I'm considering have analog XLR...

Wow, I never thought I'd read this from The Absolute Sound; Paul Seydor in the opening paragraph of his review of the Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier says:   "I know this is not the sort of thing we’re supposed to say about products, but it has been evident for a very long time now that solid-state...

A new article from Dave Clark (if you don't know him, he's the reviewer at Positive Feedback who gushed about how the Clever Little Clock improved his sound).   In this article, spokespeople from various cable makers theorize about how the USB cables they sell make digital data sound better...

Machina Dynamics has figure out how to make your recordings made in the past sound better in the present by altering how you perceive time:   "The Clever Little Clock addresses an esoteric but fundamental problem that occurs when playing an LP, CD, DVD or any other audio or video media. This...

I can't believe they're still making these things and people are still buying them:   http://www.elusivedisc.com/AudioPrism-CD-Stoplight-Pen/productinfo/AP-CDSL/   And then there are the experiences of this poor troubled soul:   "Yes, this effect could have been a by-the-book placebo...

Nothing new in this paper, but it's a pretty succinct and short summary of why NOS no-filter DACs aren't such a good idea:   http://www.hagtech.com/pdf/not16bit.pdf

Computer Audiophile vacillates between objectivity to loony tunes, but this review of the $35 Chromecast Audio is on the sane side:   Basic Bit Perfect Testing of the $35 Chromecast Audio     Now up to 24/96 streaming, optical or analog out.  Just attach this little guy to your DAC or your...

When I'm in my office/studio my signal chain is pretty simple (Mac Mini & NAS -> (maybe an interface if I'm editing, otherwise not) -> Mjolnir 2 -> either headphones or monitor speakers).   But this is the signal chain for my living room, on the other side of my house:     After that it...

Who remembers this bad boy?     And some of the commentary of the time on how it might work.     "The comment that follows is not a review of the Tice Clock as such--I did not even have the device. It is rather a comment on how "parallel filters" could work and ought to work and some...

Not even close to being a valid DBT (which he admits), but amusing and interesting:    

I don't use Windows for audio (or really at all these days), doing all my audio exclusively on Mac or Linux.   This Windows software seems to be making the rounds with a big debate about whether it's useful and has a real impact, or just inconsequential:   http://www.fidelizer-audio.com/

"audiophilia nervosa Audiophilia nervosa describes the anxiety resulting from the never-ending quest to obtain the ultimate performance from one's stereo system by means of employing state-of-the-art components, cables, and the use of certain "tweaks." Although the goal is supposedly to...

It seems like head-fi people get an external DAC almost by default, regardless of whether using a mobile device, a computer, a streaming server, or pretty much anything else.   I'm curious as to why people bought their DACs.

A lot of the more recent active monitors I've been eyeing include Class D amplification, preceded by a digital / DSP crossover fed by an A/D converter.  Some examples include the Dynaudio BM MKIII series, Eve Audio, and the JBL LSR305/308...and I'm sure there are far more.   In the case of the...

I'm currently using a Nuforce Icon HDP external DAC/Pre/Headphone amp.  But it's a little underwhelming in the power department and I'd like to have something with more juice for my AKG 701s, as well as possible additional, more demanding phones I might buy in the future.   While I believe a...

Has anybody with a Mac tried skipping an external DAC and just tried going straight to an external headphone amp by using a mini-jack to RCA cable?   How did it work out?   Or even experimented with the idea?

I currently have a Nuforce Icon HDP as my home desktop DAC/preamp/headphone amp, fed via USB from a Mac mini.  Speakers are Dynaudio BM5 MKIII active monitor speakers, headphones are AKG 701s.   I want to bring the Icon HDP to work to use it there, which means I'll need to buy something new to...

Hi, new poster here! I'm looking for a combination headphone amp/iPod/iPhone dock. My ideal device would be a cradle that I could plug my iPhone into, then use the dock connector to drive a good quality headphone amp suitable for use with demanding headphones. This would be for...